


Odd Socks

by flannelblues



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Autistic Spencer Reid, Gen, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Protective Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26438422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelblues/pseuds/flannelblues
Summary: Morgan hasn't had to share a hotel room with a colleague in a few years. He just hopes the new kid doesn't snore.
Relationships: Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid
Comments: 9
Kudos: 323





	Odd Socks

“I’m gonna take a bath.” Reid grabs his bag and walks into the bathroom.

It’s been forever since he’s had to share a hotel room with anyone, and he just hopes the new kid doesn’t snore. It’s only ten, but Morgan’s just so tired that he can’t bring himself to even shower, he’ll just wake up early and do it in the morning.

Pulling off his shoes, he decides to leave his socks on. It’s freezing. 

-

And so comes the age-old problem of falling asleep too early, waking up in the middle of the night. Morgan tries to will himself to go back to sleep for a few moments before he feels something that’s just... off. 

Lifting himself into a sitting position, he looks over to Reid’s bed and squints. Only to see nobody sitting there. Maybe he just went to the bathroom? No, the bed’s still perfectly made. He turns on the bedside lamp just to make sure his eyes aren’t deceiving him, and Reid’s still nowhere to be found. 

Feeling fully awake now, Morgan jumps out of the bed to open the curtain. Nobody’s on the balcony. Where did he go? Gideon will kill him if he lost his prodigy.

“Reid?” He calls, not loud enough to wake whoever’s sleeping in the next room. It’s only the new kid’s sixth case, and considering how hard he seems to stick to the rules it doesn’t seem very likely that he went out partying in the middle of a case.

It’s then that he notices a crack of light coming out from underneath the bathroom door. He gives it a quiet knock, nothing. He supposes it’s worth just checking inside anyway. Cover all bases before panicking and all that.

He opens the door slowly, and squints at the bright, fluorescent, headache-inducing bathroom lights that hotels just seemed to love. Reid’s curled up against the wall, still in his work clothes. Morgan can tell he’s asleep.

“Reid?” Morgan shakes him on the shoulder. The kid slowly opens his eyes, but then quickly flinches away from Morgan so harshly that he hits the back of his head on the wall in his panic. He hisses a little in pain before regaining his composure.    
“Sir? Is something wrong?” He chokes out, trying to look like he belongs on the bathroom floor.

“I told you, you can just call me Morgan. What’re you doing sleeping in here, man?” He’s answered only with big, doe-like eyes staring up at him. He really hopes he’s not just scaring the kid anymore than he already seems to be. The kid looks away from him, but he starts speaking again,

“I don’t like sleeping around other people- I mean, well I can it’s just hard with um- with the lights off.” He’s flushed red with embarrassment, like a child caught breaking something expensive. It takes Morgan a few moments to process what he’s been told. 

“Sorry. It’s just a weird thing.” The kid says with a little fake laugh, obviously uncomfortable with the silence that comes with his confession. 

Morgan had at first been skeptical about Reid’s ability to be on the team. And then he’d been promptly proven wrong. But now, he was once again doubting Gideon. He takes a look at the kid, a real good look, and he sees odd socks, one bright canary yellow with bubblegum stripes, and the other a dark purple with stars. He sees the way that his hands seem to be stuck in a perpetual tremble, and wrists that are just far too thin. He sees floppy unbrushed hair, like long ears on a puppy. 

He sees someone too young to be working a job like this.

But he knows that the kid’s not underqualified by any means. In fact, he thinks their cases have gone by significantly faster since he’s joined. And it’s not like he doesn’t like him either. He’s definitely got his eccentricities and god, can he ramble. But Morgan can tell that he’s a good kid. A kid who’s accelerated in what he’s doing.

And that’s the worst part, Morgan remembers being fourteen and feeling like a football prodigy, because that’s what everyone told him. He doesn’t mean to, but he can’t help but draw connections to his own past and this kid’s present. It’s not normal to get that far that young, no matter how smart (or good at football) you are. He knows he shouldn’t speculate, especially over a fear that could come from any number of things.

Morgan knows how it feels. To absolutely loathe feeling vulnerable in any sense. And he knows that this kid barely knows anything about him, just that he’s an adult male who’s older than him and twice his bodyweight. And he _understands_.

A part of him wants to just hop in the SUV and drive the kid straight to therapy, or to go and find whoever hurt him.

But right now, they’re having a conversation.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’d be okay with sleeping with a light on, you know.” He says, kneeling down to his level.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Reid looks at the wall again. “I didn’t want to inconvenience you, I guess.” 

“Look. Come back out and we can sleep with a lamp on or even every single goddamn light in the whole room. Or if you want, I’ll go sleep on the couch in Hotch’s room. Either way, sleeping on the floor is gonna mess up your back, come on.” He holds out a hand, which the kid tentatively takes.

“Lamp- lamp and- and kitchen light on, please.” He sniffles. Morgan can tell he’s not used to this (honestly, pretty basic) level of kindness.

-

They’ve both been lying in bed again for a few minutes when Reid speaks up.

“I’m sorry.” 

“What for?” Morgan keeps his eyes shut.

“Being a hassle.” His voice is muffled a bit by the pillow. 

“You’re not a hassle, man. Seriously. I can handle sleeping with the lights on.” He laughs a little. Reid doesn’t respond for another few seconds.

“Thank you.” He sounds almost like he’s about to cry. “Goodnight Morgan.”

“Night, kid.” But Morgan doesn’t sleep very well that night. 

**Author's Note:**

> tell me what you thought!


End file.
